Driven by energy transition and climate change, the foundry industry is undergoing a deep restructuring. Renewable energy and technologies for decarbonisation are gaining more and more attention from foundries and the manufacturers of machines – and plants – used in foundry technology. But the paths towards decarbonisation and sustainability are just as varied as the industry itself.
No foundry is like another. The size of businesses ranges from an artisanal workshop to a mid-size company with more than 500 employees. As heterogeneous as the companies are the raw materials and casting processes. Iron and steel, aluminium and magnesium alloys for every conceivable type of non-ferrous metals. Gravity casting, low pressure casting, pressure casting – casting methods range from delicate fine castings for the electronics industry to the new mega or giga casting in the automotive sector to the heavy-weight casting of several tons of iron for wind power installations.
Foundries need a lot of energy. Before pouring, metal needs to be melted and kept warm. Finished parts often need thermal treatments to optimise their properties. What is in demand, are new technologies for melting and new heating methods for new fuels. Coal, oil, gas – the energy sources of the fossil era are coming to an end, with different periods of transition. The focus is on renewable fuels like biogas and biocoke, but above all on green electrical power from the wind and the sun, and hydrogen produced with green electricity.
